


Raven's Reach

by theloredragon



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Gen, Hint: its all of them, Post-Campaign 1 (Critical Role), The Raven Queen - Freeform, adorable children, de Rolo clan, somebody's past caught up with them, vox machina - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:35:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22438069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theloredragon/pseuds/theloredragon
Summary: Losing Vax had almost driven her mad. The thought of it happening again might have just undone her.The fic where Vex actually really likes being a mom, Percy loves his family way too much to be healthy about it, and Whitestone's youngest daughter attracts the attention of someone the entire family would prefer to go choke.
Relationships: Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III/Vex'ahlia
Comments: 3
Kudos: 166





	Raven's Reach

Losing Vax had almost driven her mad. The thought of it happening again might have just undone her.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vex saw ravens everywhere. They all did. 

Keyleth especially, saw it as a sign of favor. That somehow, Vax was still with them. Watching. Making sure they were okay. 

Vex chalked it up to hopeful wishing, shoving the bubble of hope as deep as she could in her chest.

That was, until Vesper was born. It was a long birth, physically exhausting Vex and emotionally exhausting Percy, who had not stopped encouraging her for nearly seventeen hours, even as she clutched his hand so hard she nearly broke his fingers. They had both slipped off to sleep the moment Vesper did and awoke to a single black feather laying gently across Vesper’s chest. Vex had two, tucked into the base of her braid.

Vex tried to blame her tears on the hormones, but Percy took the feathers anyway. A quick preservation spell from Gilmore, and a perfect black feather took its place on Vesper’s mobile, dangling over her crib like a warden and toy in one. 

Vax would be pleased with that, she thought. 

Three years later, when her oldest son was born, identical to his father in face and name, Vex found another feather clutched in his stubby fingers. She smiled through the tears, and little Freddie got the same treatment.

It was years between that child and the next, years filled with laughter and love, with messy lessons and happy holidays with every member of their family doting on her children (And Pike and Scanlan’s daughter, born less than three months after Freddie. Motherhood was much easier shared, Vex decided.)

When Vesper was five, she asked Vex why they celebrated hers, her brother’s, and Daddy’s birthday, but they had never celebrated Momma’s.

Vex just stared at her for a long moment before pulling Vesper onto her lap and explaining about a man named Vax’ildan, who everyone called Vax. That Vex had loved him very much, and he loved her just as fiercely. A brother, who loved all of Vesper’s aunts and uncle’s so much that he made the choice to go away forever so that all of them would be safe and happy. Vex knew that, had he met her, Vax would love Vesper very much too, which Vex knew because he was the one to give her the black feather that still hung above the headboard in Vesper’s room.

Vesper tilted her head, fiddling with the edge of her own braid, brown and white. 

“His name was Vax?”

Vex nodded, voice stuck in her throat.

“Daddy told me that the feather came from a dark angel, who would keep me safe when all the candles get blown out at bedtime. Is Vax a black angel?”

Somehow, that hurt worse more than anything else in this conversation.

“Yes. Yes, he is.”

Much later, Vex would find out that Vesper had asked every single member of Vox Machina about Vax, carefully slotting every story in her tiny brain.

Now, Vesper took her duties as a big sister very seriously. Vox Machina’s story resurged as bedtime stories clumsily told from an eight-year-old to her enraptured little brother. The Black Angel protected him as well, Vesper promised Freddie. 

The name Vax was murmured quieter, but it was still present, slipping in and out of her life in a way that was heart-wrenchingly familiar.

When the twins joined the world, eight years after Freddie, it was time for Percy’s past to haunt them, and Vex’s turn to be yanked back towards the Pantheon.

Julius came out pale. Too pale. Stark white even as he cried, and the tiny nubs on either side of his forehead confirmed Orthax’s last touch on her husband.

Velora came out pale as well, but her pupilless eyes glowed gold, a reflection of the blessing of Pelor.

Vex felt love and terror in equal parts.

They needn’t be worried. Vesper and Freddie adored their siblings. The morning after they were born, Vesper and Freddie woke half the castle, howling with excitement and pointing at the raven feathers in each crib. 

At 11, Vesper was old enough to understand exactly what the word “Tiefling” meant and inquisitive enough to have wrestled the name Orthax from her family history. 

Neither name passed her pursed lips. She simply grabbed her father’s hand and reminded him of the story he had told her when she was a little girl, terrified of the dark. 

Two feathers hung above two cribs, and for her next birthday, Vesper recieved a silver chain necklace on which to hers hung.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the twin’s third birthday, Vex woke up crying.

She could not remember the dream, but she tore through the castle, checking on each of her children in turn.

Vex didn’t know if it was dream or paranoia, but for a short moment, she swore the porcelain face of the Raven Queen hung above Velora’s bed.

She blinked and it was gone.

Percy coaxed her back to bed, smoothing her worries away by rebraiding her hair and holding her as she went back to sleep.

She managed to forget it until a year later when her youngest darlings turned four.

When she went to nudge her daughter awake, her sleeping face appeared to have a ghostly mask of the Queen superimposed atop it.

When Velora was five, Vex hallucinated black fabric draping over her bed, white hands reaching out to run themselves through Velora’s hair.

By then Vex was hysterical, so protective of her youngest daughter that she banned the family from the temple in the graveyard.

Percival, darling Percival, just managed to convince her not to set the whole thing ablaze.

As they spoke, Vex realized something.

His voice was calm.

Too calm. 

The three times this happened, Percy hadn’t panicked at all.

The man who went white as a sheet when Vesper had sliced a hole in her hand with an arrow, given a seven-hour-long safety lecture when Freddie accidentally scorched the table in the lab,

_Had_

_Not_

_Cared._

And he had never, _never_ checked on their daughter, just ushered her away as fast as he could.

He didn’t believe her. _He didn’t believe her._

When she confronted him, he didn’t deny it. Just sat there, staring at his hands.

They had the biggest fight of their marriage then. A fight that couldn’t be smoothed over with a reminder of their love, or forgiveness given and accepted with a kiss.

Vex stayed in the forest for six hours once she was done screaming at him.

When she returned, Percy was gone.

Gone from the castle.

Gone from Whitestone.

Vex stamped down her anxiety by visiting each of her children.

Vesper was blossoming into a precocious young teen.

Her tutor sat behind her as Vesper let arrows fly at a target, sixty feet away. Elise was a severe elvish woman, but very good at her job, and Vesper had wiggled her way into the woman’s good graces.

Elise called out a word in Celestial.

Vesper responded easily back in Celestial, then let an arrow fly.

Vex mused that, had her tutors done something similar, she may not have run away when she was Vesper’s age.

Five correct conjugations and five arrows striking true passed before Vesper noticed her mother. She waved before grabbing another arrow and letting fly. It sunk into the exact center of the bullseye.

Vex broke out in appreciative applause. 

Elise looked up from the massive tome she was reading from to give Vex a respectful nod. Vexah’lia returned it gracefully, not bothering to hide the prideful smile Vesper was so good at inspiring.

Elise’s voice rang out again, and they slipped back into the pattern, calling out in Celestial.

A part of Vex settled, so she moved on, heading back towards the castle and down the stairs, heading for a storage room that had rapidly become Freddie’s “workshop”.

Percival Fredrickstein von Musel Klosswalski de Rolo the Fourth was just like his father, and both of them were very proud of that fact. Thirteen years of age and he already delighted in spending hours with his father in the basement workshop.

The pocket watch in her breast pocket was a gift from her son.

Freddie deviated from his father in one major way though, to take a leaf out of Taryon’s books.

When she found him, all of his tinkering tools

_Engineering, Mom! It’s called_ **engineering!**

Were pushed into a corner. Instead, the large table was covered in scrolls and books that glittered with magically infused ink.

The half-orc leaning over Freddie’s name was Ghunter. A recommendation from Allura herself, Ghunter was an up and coming researcher at the Arcane Pansophical. 

Freddie _adored_ him. 

His hands moved slowly, guiding an attentive Freddie through the somatic component of some spell. Freddie’s nimble, phosphorus-covered fingers danced through the air as he crisply ran through words that hummed with arcane power.

At the end of the incantation, sparks began to fly. Four of them grew bigger and bigger, flying to the center of the room and illuminating it brightly.

Freddie laughed in disbelief and excitement, holding firm to maintain the globes of light.

Ghunter moved around the table to face him, slapping another timepiece (Percy’s work, this time).

Forty-seven seconds of bated breath passed before Freddie gasped, dropping the spell. 

Vex made to praise him, but he was halfway through the spell again, dipping his fingers in reddish powder and raising them once more.

She let them be. 

As she moved back up towards the third floor of Whitestone Castle, she idly wondered how Taryon was doing. It had been far too long since she had since him and Lawrence. The Darrington Brigade must be very busy.

Or it had failed already, and he didn’t want to admit it. Either way, she’d send him a message, just to say hello. 

Before she entered the twins’ room, she took a few more breaths to steady herself, swallow the ire that still roiled in the base of her throat.

Catherine, the twins’ nanny, didn’t wait for the dismissal, simply curtseyed and swept past Vexah’lia into the hall.

Her little darlings ran into her arms almost immediately.

Julius pushed his forehead into her shoulder and poked her playfully with the small horns just starting to curve out of his forehead.

Velora was babbling a mile a minute in barely comprehensible toddler language, pulling at Vex’s cloak at the shoulders. All of a sudden, the deluge stopped, and Velora looked at her expectantly.

“Oh, is that so?” Vex asked, playing in.

Velora nodded furiously, pulling Vex’s hand to show her the paint pots laid out on top of the tallest dresser in the room. 

“Uh-huh! Cat says we can paint whatever we want.” She said excitedly. 

“That sounds wonderful,” Vex said, ruffling her hair. “What are you going to paint?”

Velora hummed indecisively. She opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted by a knock at the door.

Percy was leaning at the doorway.

He looked like Vex felt. Dark half-moons cut caverns into the space below his blue eyes. His glasses were tucked into his messily tied cravat. He fixed his slumped posture just in time for Velora to fling herself at her papa.  
She giggled as Percy swung her around in a circle, settling her down on his hip. 

“I hear you are painting a masterpiece today.” he said very seriously.

Velora giggled again. 

“It’s gonna look so good.” she promised.

“I look forward to seeing it. However,” he placed her on the ground, kneeling to keep eye contact. “I need to have a very important conversation with your mother. May I see it when I get back?”

Velora nodded seriously.

“Is that all right, my dear?” Percy asked quietly, keeping his eyes firmly on the floor.

“Of course, darling.” Vex deposited Julius back on the ground. Percy kissed each of them on the forehead once before leading her into the hallway.

She mumbled a quick thank you to Catherine, who darted back into the room and quickly caught the twins’ attention.

The first part of their walk occurred in silence, excluding the click, click of Vex’s boots on the stone floor.

Percy cleared his throat.

“I need to apologize.”

“Yes,” Vex bit out. “Yes, you do.”

She didn’t mean for it to come out so angrily, but she couldn’t find it in herself to be sorry for it, either.

He tensed.

“Regardless of whether or not I shared your concerns-” he took a deep breath. “It is a grave mistake I made as a husband and a father by not taking it seriously. For that, I feel awful, and I am very very sorry.”

They were nearly at the entranceway of the castle now, and Percy turned to face her.

“The thought-” his voice cracked. “I miss Vax every single day. If she took Velora too…”  
Unshed tears welled up behind his glasses.

“I can’t lose anyone else.” Vex whispered.

Percy stepped forward, gently taking her hands in his.

“Neither can I. Vex… I always believed you. I just didn’t want to.”

Vex looked in shock at his devastated expression. His face crumpled.

“When the alternative was losing our daughter… I’m so sorry, Vexah’lia.”

She threw her arms around him, all the anger dissipating.

“I’m sorry too.” she murmured into his ear.

His arms snaked around her waist, holding her as desperately and lovingly as he had when they had embraced, soaking wet and shaking on their wedding day.

She allowed herself to be comforted for a minute or two.

“We need to know.” she murmured quietly.

Percy shuddered, pulling back.

“I know. And I don’t know how she works, if she chooses people or how.”

“I don’t know enough.” Vex admitted. “So what do we do?”

Percy looked away suddenly.

“I asked Kiki to take me to Vasselheim this morning after our… conversation.”

Vex’s jaw dropped.

“And I spoke with some of the Silent Sisters. Told them everything you said… and that I saw too. She wanted to come meet Velora, just to be sure.”

Vex’s eyebrows furrowed.

“She?”

Percy gestured towards the foyer of Whitestone Castle.

Vex swept forward, head held high. 

The figure in the entranceway was tall, a coif of raven feathers gracing the collar of her black gown and tracing the hem of her sleeves.

Long elvish ears poked out of long, dark brown hair. 

As she turned to face them, Vex’s heart clenched.

“Hello, Lieve’tel.”

The cleric bowed.

“Lady de Rolo. It has been many years.”

Vex nodded respectfully in return.

“So it has. Thank you for coming.”

Lieve’tel’s coal-like eyes were difficult to look away from.

“If my goddess has truly bestowed the title of chosen, it would be heresy to say no.” Lieve’tel’s mouth twitched. “And even if this is not the case, it would be incorrect of me not to come for those to whom I am connected so.”

There was a derisive snort, and Vex suddenly noticed the fluttering mantle of Keyleth, who was staring daggers at the priestess from ten feet behind. 

“Hello Keyleth. Thank you as well.”

Keyleth didn’t say anything, just moved forward and wrapped the two of them up in a big hug, towering over them both with her tall frame.

“I’m here for you.” she whispered fiercely. “Always. I’m gonna go say hi to the Sun Tree.”

Vex nodded, hugging her back.

“Take Trinket with you?”

“Of course. His old bear bones might appreciate getting some sun.” Keyleth quipped before making a hasty retreat.

Vex was almost jealous as she turned to face the motionless cleric. 

“Shall we?” Lieve’tel asked lightly.

Vex nodded again, turning and placing her hand in the crook of Percy’s elbow.

“Follow us.”

As they walked, Lieve’tel quizzed Vex on the things that she had seen.

In addition, she asked both of them on other things, oddities that could indicate the Queen’s favor.

Did Velora have an affinity for animals?

Not really, but her brother did.

Had they ever seen Velora playing with something obviously dead, even a beetle or a rotting flower?

Percy admitted to once having found Velora playing with a dead garden snake.

Has Velora ever been on the edge of dying herself?

Not since birth, but the pregnancy was worrisome. Too much magical healing had put Vex back together slightly to the left, so there were complications.

Have you ever found a raven over her specifically or an unnatural presence of raven feathers?

Of course. But that couldn’t mean anything, it was true of all their children.

At that, Lieve’tel pulled up short, shock displayed clearly across her normally serene face. The amazement did not abate after they explained the phenomenon around the de Rolo children’s births.

Lieve’tel shook her head, a baffled smile on her face.

“He always was a willful one. Especially when it came to family.” she said fondly. “The Queen has placed your family under her wing, that is certain. The question now remains whether or not she has called your daughter to her service.”

Vex swallowed. Next to her, Percy’s breath hitched.

She recovered quickly, leading Lieve’tel to the door to the playroom. 

“Her and her brother, Julius, are playing in there.”

Lieve’tel nodded, sweeping into the room.  
Catherine was watching the twins carefully as they stuck their fingers into paint pots, smearing it across the layers of parchment on the ground. She looked up first.

“Lord and Lady de Rolo?”

“Please continue.” Lieve’tel interrupted. “I just need to watch for a bit.”

Julius recoiled from the newcomer, scooting closer towards Catherine and whispering in her ear. 

Velora stared at Lieve’tel. 

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you have to watch?” Velora pointed at her picture. “See? No mess.”

Percy stifled a laugh.

“That’s very good of you. I’m sure your parents appreciate that.” Lieve’tel said genially. 

Velora nodded decisively.

“Can I have a feather?”

“Velora!” Catherine admonished. The little girl’s eyes went wide.

“Uh, please?”

Vex was about to chide her, but Lieve’tel surprised her by plucking a long feather from her collar and offering it up. Velora snatched it.

“What do we say?” Percy prodded.

“Thank you!”

Across the room, Julius echoed it too.

“Thank you!”

Lieve’tel acknowledged both of them, sitting back on her heels and watching Velora.

“What are you painting?”

Velora didn’t look up. 

“I was painting Trinket. Now I’m painting the angel.”

Lieve’tel’s face was carefully schooled to avoid expression.

“The angel?”

Velora pointed her black and brown spattered fingers up towards her bed, where a black feather hung.

“Freddie told us stories about him. He keeps us safe after all the lights are out.”

Lieve’tel digested that for a moment. 

Velora gasped, as if struck.

“You look just like what Freddie said the angel looked like! Do you know the angel?”

Vex held her breath, glancing over at Percy, who was perfectly still.

“I’ve never met an angel, no.” Lieve’tel said carefully. “Thank you for letting me play, I’ll be leaving now.”

Velora pouted.

“Why?”

Lieve’tel simply smiled, offering another feather as an effective distraction as she made a swift exit.

Vex and Percy were right behind her.

“Well?” Vex demanded breathlessly.

Lieve’tel hummed, looking troubled.

“She certainly has the affinity. It’s practically dripping off of her.”

“What does that mean?” Percy pressed.

“That if she does follow the path of our Queen, she would be very, very good at it.” Lieve’tel mused. “But we still do not have our answer. Was she chosen?”

The woman pursed her lips.

“I am told that my lady has a small temple in this city, is that correct?”

“It is.” Percy assured her.

“In that case, we have two ways to proceed. I can go and commune, and hope that I receive the answer we seek.”

“Or?”

“Or Velora can join me and commune herself. The Raven Queen will make her choice known, undoubtedly.”

Vex peered closely at the wrinkle in her brow.

“There’s more to that option, isn’t there.”

Lieve’tel sighed.

“If Velora has been chosen as a priestess of the Raven Queen, a commune would open a passageway into her mind for the Queen to communicate with her as she pleases. She would begin to receive dreams, messages. And, should the Queen request it, a call to action.”

Vex stumbled. Percy’s grip on her hand tightened to the point of pain she was past caring about.

“She is a child.” his voice hissed, dangerously low.

“So was I.” Lieve’tel’s momentary snap of anger abated as she sighed. “Although there is a great deal of a difference between five and eleven.”

Vex’s stomach turned, and for a moment she felt a great deal of pity for the cleric. Eleven was far too young either.

_So was twenty-eight_. A nasty, angry part of herself pointed out. She shoved it down as Lieve’tel’s gaze snapped back to hers.

“So no. I do not recommend that choice. Yet.”

Percy called down the hall to attract the attention of a passing servant.

“Would you escort this woman to the temple in the graveyard?”

The servant bowed, nodding.

“Do keep me informed, if you could.” Lieve’tel said, bowed graciously to them both and finally breaking eye contact. “And thank you for your graciousness as hosts.”

“Thank you,” Vex said and meant it.

When the train of Lieve’tel’s dress disappeared around the corner, all the fight rushed out of Vex. Percy sagged against her.

In the hallways of Whitestone Castle, a husband and wife stood, fearing for their family for the first time in sixteen years.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the twin’s sixth birthday, when Vex woke in a cold sweat, she did not get up.

Instead, she tapped her husband, who was already slipping his glasses on and rushing out the door with all the urgency midnight could muster.

She idly noticed that he was already dressed and felt a surge of gratitude.

When he returned, Vex didn’t ask him if he saw anything, just lifted the covers. He offered no answer either, just slipped into the bed and kissed her gently before pulling her into his arms and falling asleep.

The birthday after was the same, and Vex allowed herself to fall into complacency.

Two hours after they fell back asleep though, Vex was re-awoken by the sound of bare feet tiptoeing into their room.

“Momma?” 

Vex rolled over to the sound of Velora’s voice.

“Yes, darling?”

“Something happened? I need help.”

The two of them were up in a flash.

Velora’s face was pulled into a worried expression, and she tugged on the edges of what looked like a short cloak draped over her body.

But as she moved into the light of the candle Percy had rapidly lit, Vex could see the outline of two coal-black wings.

That was an interesting night.

They discovered that her wings were actually dark brown, once seen in proper lighting.

That Velora was indeed, as previously suspected, an aasimar, or angel-touched.

That it was apparently possible for a tiefling/aasimar set of twins to a) exist, and b) throw simultaneous temper tantrums because the other twin “looked cooler”.

And that, by now, they really shouldn’t be surprised by anything anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> so im back and a little (read: a lot) obsessed with critical role. This might become a full universe if i have the time to write lol.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
